20 Republican officials who back immigration reform

With more than 70 percent of Latino voters helping to reelect President Barack Obama, Republican leaders are now calling for immigration reform.

Storified by Digital First Media · Tue, Dec 11 2012 07:44:08

With more than 70 percent of Latino voters helping to reelect President Obama, some Republicans are saying the party needs to work harder at outreach to the community, beginning with immigration reform. Here are 20 GOP officials who have called for changes to immigration laws since the election.

“This issue has been around far too long and while I believe it‟s important for us to secure our borders and to enforce our laws, I think a comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I‟m confident that the president, myself, others, can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona)

I agree with the calls for comprehensive immigration reformJohn McCain

“Many young people in this country are here illegally through no fault of their own. Relegating a potentially productive portion of the population to the shadows is neither humane nor good economic or social policy.”

“I think you see the change in that tone hopefully among people around the country on this issue. That you can be for legal immigration — you don‟t have to be for amnesty — but you also need to understand that we‟re speaking about human beings … I believe — and I‟ve said this repeatedly — that the issue of kids that are in this country undocumented is not an immigration issue, it’s a humanitarian one.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina)

“In the last election, many Republican officials felt incorrectly that they needed to pander to the base of the party — to the loud, shrill, anti-immigration people out there … We have to reconsider who the Republican base is and how to define the soul of the Republican Party. Moderates within the party need to come back to this discussion and reject the extreme rightwing partisan ranting that does not represent the majority of Republicans.”

“The Republican Party has to be open to and listening to people who are going to be a major part of our future and unless we do that, we‟re going to be a minority party … I think you do have to have an attitude towards the Latino population — not necessarily towards the president — that is much, much more inclusive than it has been in the past.”

“Taking people at their word — like [Sen.] Lindsey [Graham] and [Sen.] Chuck [Schumer] — if they really want to end illegality, then things are possible. We will fairly and compassionately wrestle with what to do with people who are here illegally.”

Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation

Must have sweeping, generous immigration reform,make existing law- abiding Hispanics welcome. Most are hard working family people.Rupert Murdoch

“We‟re done. Put a fork in the Republican Party. Nationally put a fork in them everywhere, if they put up the walls and send the message: Latino, Polish, immigrant community you are not welcome. Forget about it.”

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona)

“I want to show what conservatives would or can accept. … There would be an eventual path [to citizenship], but we don’t make anybody tomorrow a citizen who came here illegally. But if they’re willing to work, willing to pay taxes, I think we need to normalize those who are here.”

“Everything ought to be on the table [for negotiating on immigration reform] … There are a lot of very important legal considerations that have to be made, but I’ve always been empathetic towards resolving this problem.”

“I want to be a part of this discussion, because getting this issue resolved is in the best interest of everybody. I think we can find ways of solving the problem and make sure that those who are interested in becoming citizens can become citizens … Believe me, I have a very open mind on this. And I think doing it sooner rather than later is in everybody‟s best interest … There should be a pathway, absolutely there should be a pathway: If you served in our military and you’ve done it with distinction, I think you have a right — you’ve proven yourself — to become an American citizen. I think the same is true with those that are students that are continuing their education, that there should be some kind of a pathway.”